1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a system and method for monitoring, recording, reporting and/or restricting unauthorized use of, for example, a vehicle, and more specifically, the present invention relates to a secure communication and control system and method for monitoring, recording, reporting and/or restricting unauthorized use of external devices, systems and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Car-jackings and vehicle theft have become a serious problem, especially in the past few years. Many vehicle theft prevention systems for automobiles, trucks, and boats are known and presently used. As indicated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,200, incorporated herein by reference, these systems fall into three general classes: physical locking devices, alarm systems, and systems for shutting-down the vehicle. Nevertheless, vehicle thieves and car-jackets have conducted a running, and mainly winning, battle with such theft prevention systems.
Physical locking devices constitute the first class of vehicle theft prevention systems. An example of such a device is THE CLUB, which includes a metallic shaft and a locking mechanism located on the shaft. THE CLUB attaches to the steering wheel of a car or truck and, while attached, inhibits movement of the steering wheel. Thieves, however, can easily defeat THE CLUB and other physical locking devices, for example, by simply spraying freon into the locking mechanism and striking the lock with sufficient force to break it. The physical locking device can then be easily removed from the steering wheel.
Falling within the second class, myriad alarm systems exist for preventing vehicle theft. Such systems operate to deter a thief before the thief undertakes to steal a vehicle. Alarm systems employ various deterrence methods, including sound and visual alarms. Nevertheless, thieves can easily disable alarm systems, thereby rendering them ineffective, even useless in some cases. Even if not disabled, a thief can allow the alarm to activate and simply drive away in the vehicle while the alarm is sounding. Thus, alarm systems cannot generally counteract a determined thief.
The third class includes various systems for shutting-down a vehicle. For example, some systems work in conjunction with law-enforcement agencies, by which the agency can remotely shut-down the vehicle. Such systems, therefore, require intervention by the agency and thus cannot be implemented by the vehicle owner without some assistance. In a similar system, the vehicle owner must call a central service, which can then transmit a signal over a satellite network to disable the vehicle's engine. However, as stated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,200, law-enforcement and central service systems require the vehicle owner to invest in expensive electronic components for installation in the vehicle and only work in a covered "local" area.
To remedy the above problems, U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,200 triggers a switch in the vehicle using a tripping circuit. The system includes a pager unit for receiving a wireless communication and for generating a first signal in response to receiving the wireless communication. The wireless communication is transmitted by a transmitter to a central switching unit, and from the central switching unit, the wireless communication is relayed through a satellite to the pager unit. The tripping circuit, responsive to the first signal, generates a second signal, and a switch, responsive to the second signal, is tripped causing an action in the vehicle. However, this patent only provides a crude method of tripping a switch in a vehicle, which I have determined, may be dangerous in situations where the vehicle is moving at a fast speed.
To avoid the limitations of a paging unit, U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,655, incorporated herein by reference, discloses a wireless paging device able to control an electronic device at a remote location using a data processor. The wireless paging device includes a receiver, such as those typically used in pagers, to detect when a particular electronic device is being remotely accessed. If the electronic device is being remotely accessed, a data processing system stores an incoming message in a buffer and subsequently determines if the incoming message is a command or another type of communication. The data processing system processes a command to provide the proper control signals for controlling the functionality of the electronic device. This patent specifically states that due to restrictions in size, pagers are often not capable of executing more complex functions such as controlling operation of devices or communicating large amounts of data, and therefore, a data processor is used.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,157 relates to a receiver, demodulator and control circuit which interfaces with various vehicle options to allow receipt of a vehicle address and control signal which is a personalization code to control the operation of one or more vehicle accessories. A display is provided for the display of information to the vehicle operator confirming the state of operation of an option change or addition when has been requested by the vehicle operator. The vehicle includes a display for displaying a telephone number from a land-based paging system to the vehicle operator. In another embodiment, the receiver demodulator and display unit receives alpha-numeric information when allows messages and/or telephone numbers to be displayed to the vehicle operator. In yet a further embodiment, one vehicle personalization control system provides anti-theft protection such that upon receipt of a predetermined code, once the vehicle ignition has been turned off, the vehicle cannot be restarted.
As indicated in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,157 patent, the control system cannot be used until the vehicle ignition has been turned off, to prevent deactivating the vehicle when not turned off. Thus, I have determined, that this patent does not address the situation when the vehicle is moving and/or not turned off.
It is therefore desirable to provide a system and method that may prevent unauthorized use of a vehicle accounting for the possibility of the vehicle being in motion. It is also desirable to provide a system and method that controls various components and/or systems in a vehicle using a simple, inexpensive, paging device.